Quad connectors are connectors that each has four quad contacts lying in a quad insulator, with the insulator usually surrounded by a metal shell. A group of such quad connectors can be terminated to a circuit board by the use of a quad interconnect assembly. Such a quad interconnect assembly has an insulative housing with many quad-receiving passages and an insulative plate with many interconnect pins. A quad connector is inserted forwardly into a passage until the front ends of its quad contacts connect to rear ends of four of the interconnect pins. The pins have front ends that project from the insulative plate and that can be inserted into signal holes in the circuit board and soldered thereat to signal traces on the circuit board.
Noise, which may arise from signals in the many close quad contacts and connectors, is reduced by connecting each quad shell to ground potential. This previously has been accomplished by use of a grounding element for each quad connector, which had a rear end lying at the rear of each passage and in contact with the rear of a quad shell in the passage. Each grounding element had a plurality of pins extending though and forward of the insulative plate, for insertion into grounding holes in the circuit board. Such grounding elements take up space not only at-the rear of each passage, but on the circuit board. This can result in the need for larger spacing between quad-receiving passages and a larger circuit board with more holes, which results in greater expense and a larger apparatus. A quad interconnect assembly of simpler and smaller design would be of value.